


Rules and regulations (of the heart)

by InLust



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Corporate AU, F/F, FitzSimmons Company, entry level positions, executive assistant!skye, i slept with my boss au, post graduate life, reference to Arrow, ward isn't a dick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 00:03:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5025862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InLust/pseuds/InLust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye didn’t want to be an executive assistant but when you’re an executive assistant to your one night stand, that has to change things, right?</p><p> </p><p>  <em>one night stand before your first day of your new job and oops that was your new boss you were sleeping with AU</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rule 1: Sleep with strangers

**Author's Note:**

> this fic has been a long time coming. i've got it all planned out and i just have to actually write it. for my little who prompted me in the first place
> 
> also at my tumblr nocteverbascio

Skye knew that this was a bad idea. It was  _the_   _worst_  idea that her roommate could have concocted the night before her first day of work.

_But who could refuse free drinks and a celebration?_

“Two whiskeys!” Ward practically yelled in excitement as he slapped his credit card down onto the bar. Poor bartender had been startled before he simply took the card and grabbed the two whiskeys.

“What if I didn’t want whiskey?” Skye asked as she leaned towards the bartender with a charming smile. “Could I get a tequila shot instead?”

Ward looked aghast at Skye before turning back to the bartender. “Nope, two whiskeys for me and a tequila shot for her. Me and  _you_ —”

“Mike,” the bartender supplied with confusion as he reached for the whiskey.

“Me and  **Mike**! Will be having the whiskeys!” Ward said with a bright smile. He threw a wink at the bartender before turning to look at the dance floor.

Skye gave an apologetic look at Mike before whispering, “He thinks he is everyone’s type. Just ignore him if he starts hitting on you.”

“I’ll keep than in mind,” Mike said before handing her tequila shot over with a lime.

Ward whirled back to the bar excitedly before picking up his shot. “Come on, this is a celebration for Skye!” he said enthusiastically. “To a job that could quite possibly lead to a career or just the realization that you hate being someone’s bitch.”

Mike gave a confused look at Skye before they all took their shots. He quickly took their glasses before going on to take someone else’s order.

“What if I like this job?” Skye asked as she pulled the lime out of her mouth and threw it in the trash behind the bar.

“You’re a certified computer engineer and hacking extraordinaire,” Ward answered as he gave her a gratuitous pat on the back.

Skye jerked forward, still not used to his strength before shaking her head. “I mean, I still work at one of  _the most prestigious_  science and technology firms in the country, which by the way, I hear has a lot of mobility.”

Her companion scoffed before ordering another set of shots. “ _Mobility_  is a  **lie**. In the corporate sector, you need to start off in your field for there to be mobility.  **You**  are an  _executive assistant_.”

“An executive assistant to  _one of the Founders,_ ” Skye took her shot and grimaced at the taste before turning the glass over. Again, she threw out her lime barely making it into the trash can.

“Speaking of which, why is Simmons of FitzSimmons not a CEO? What’s up with that?” Ward shot back followed by a mild burp. He quickly ordered a coke before deciding another set of shots was due.

“Apparently, they are both still practicing and they are both not CEOs. Although,  _practicing_  might not be the word I am looking for,” Skye felt her head become a little woozy. She watched as Mike pushed a glass of water towards her followed by another shot.

“Take your time guys,” Mike advised before going back to his other customers.

Ward took a big gulp of his coke before looking at Skye with a serious expression. “Look Skye, I  _really_  am glad you got this job. But I don’t want you feeling bad about yourself because this was the only place that got back to you fairly quickly.” Skye frowned at his words before he quickly carried on. “What I mean is that you are better than this job. You graduated from MIT for crying out loud, you didn’t get a bachelors  _and_ masters degree to be an executive assistant.”

Skye laughed sardonically, “Maybe we should visit Felicity and you can give her the same speech.” She sighed and looked at the shot thoughtfully. He was right. Even though, he could never really show it properly, Skye had to admit he was right. “Alright, enough with this sap. I’ve got a great paying job so I can get my own place, buy a car, and buy  _you_  all the drinks on the weekend.”

Both of them smiled brightly at one another, keeping their optimism. The clink of their glasses followed before they took their drinks. Ward practically howled as he finished his drink before shaking his head. He took another swig of his coke before swanning off to the dance floor.

Skye shook her head and glanced at where her best friend had went off to. She stood up before realizing maybe some more water would do. Maybe three shots in a row wouldn’t do her so well.

“Could I get a water please?” an English woman distracted her from her hazy state of mind.

Skye turned her head to see the brightest and most beautiful woman she had ever seen. And the  _accent_? She had instantly swooned. “ _Shit_ ,” she muttered as she drank more water. Feeling like she could hold it down, she stood up straighter but felt a silly smile on her lips.

The woman had somehow heard her and looked over with mild concern. “Are you alright?” she asked as Mike handed her a water.

Mike stopped and glanced at Skye before she shook her head at him and assured him that she was alright.

Luckily for Skye, she had long practiced sobriety in the face of a pretty girl. She nodded at the English woman next to her. “I am actually good, no worries,” she leaned against the bar. “How are  _you_  doing tonight?”

The woman giggled and Skye could swear she would love to hear that giggle all the time. “I am doing quite well thank you.”

“You seem like you are having a good night,” the woman added as she sipped on her water. The blush on her cheeks evidence that she had been drinking.

Skye smiled and felt all of her hesitation about her new job slip to the back of her mind. If she was going to be working full time for god knows how long,  _she might as well have some fun beforehand right?_

“I  _am_   **actually** ,” she responded with a bright smile. “Would  _you_  like to celebrate  _with me_?”

The woman blushed even harder and Skye could swear that it was the cutest thing. She pulled out her card from her clutch and handed it over to Mike. “Put our drinks on my tab,” she said with ease as she kept her eyes locked on Skye.

A few shots later, Skye found herself on the other woman’s lap in of the VIP booths. She didn’t know if it was a good idea or not but the woman had ordered a bottle of champagne and she definitely couldn’t refuse.

“So, tell me,” Skye began as she got comfortable on the other woman’s lap. She could feel the warmth of the other woman’s hand running up and down her thigh while the other slid under her shirt. “What is your name? And what are you doing dropping probably hundreds of dollars on me?”

The other woman laughed before nuzzling her nose against Skye’s for a moment. “Well, if I told you I’ve just gotten back into the city to save the city from crime and corruption as a vigilante would you believe me?”

Skye laughed even harder in response as she found herself nuzzling into the other woman’s neck. She couldn’t help but smell the rich and sophisticated scent of her perfume.

“ _Ah_ , you read the news,” Skye joked as she pulled away from the other woman’s neck. She didn’t seem to mind though as her hands kept Skye in place on her lap.

She smiled brightly at Skye. “I’ve just been out of the country for awhile doing research so I came back and hopefully someone can help organize my notes,” she answered cheerfully before biting her lips. She wanted to continue and Skye noticed.

“What?”

“ _What_  what?”

“You were going to say something else?”

“No no! I am sorry, I am just a scientist so I usually go off on tangents that people don’t quite get. I thought I would spare you the agony by just– _no_.” The other woman blushed before she giggled.

Skye giggled in return at how  _cute_  this woman was. Before she could think clearly, she boldly planted a kiss on the other woman’s cheek. Both of them suddenly stopped giggling and felt the heat spread throughout their bodies.

“I am  _so_  sorry about that,” Skye instantly apologized as her eyes widened. She moved slightly to get off the other woman before she realized she was still being held in place. It felt like the other woman’s hand under her shirt had suddenly became like fire spreading through her body.

“Don’t be,” the other woman said. Her eyes clouded with desire as her eyes flickered to Skye’s lips.

Skye blushed this time before rambling, “I mean I wouldn’t normally be so bold. You’ve been so nice with the drinks and such a great conversationalist. I mean, I don’t even know you’re name. So if you think I am just the type of girl, to jump into bed with a stranger I am n–” Her rambling was cut short as the other woman brought their lips together.

Skye thought that the drinks were enough but the other woman’s kisses were far more intoxicating. They fell into a deeper and more passionate kiss that Skye reveled in as the other woman’s hands grew bolder in groping her. Skye let out a moan that was too obscene as the other woman squeezed her ass.

Just as quickly as their kiss started, the other woman pulled away. Their breaths still caressing each other as they panted for air.

“Jemma. My name is Jemma Simmons,” she breathed out. The husky tones of her voice sent heat straight between Skye’s legs. “And if it’s alright with you, I’d like to have sex with you.”

Skye bit her lip as she thought “carefully” about her decision. There was a woman, whose lap she was sitting in, blowing hundreds of dollars for shots, a table, and a bottle of champagne on Skye. She was sexy, English, and clearly intelligent.

She glanced at Jemma’s– _what a pretty name_ –lips once more before leaning in to kiss them gently. You know,  _for_   _science_. Again, she could feel the passion response as Jemma leaned into her to deepen the kiss. She pulled away from the kiss painfully slow and realized that Jemma had been keen on continuing the kiss.

“May I take that as a yes?”

Skye could feel her heart soar.  _Why was she so polite?_  She pulled Jemma in for another searing kiss. “Yes.”

* * *

Skye didn’t know why when she woke up, her bed was uncharacteristically warm and comfortable. Usually she could feel the spring of the pull out couch poking at her side, while the broken thermostat left the room at a freezing temperature.  _It’s still dark._  Not really caring, she snuggled further into the cloudy comforter falling back into her dream.

It wasn’t until she heard a distinct buzzing that she had begun to slowly break her cloudy haze. But the buzzing was quickly cut short as she felt a wave of warmth cross her body before being replaced by a soft voice.

“ _Hello? This is Simmons_ ,” the soft English voice sang comfortably into Skye’s ears as she leaned further back against the warmth. She could feel her body wrapped with warmth around her waist as she kept dreaming comfortably. Skye nuzzled against the softness pressed against her face. “ _Sorry…who is this?….Oh, I’m sorry, she’s currently sleeping right now…Right, will do._ ” Another wave of warmth crossed Skye’s body before wrapping her tightly around her waist. She could feel a tickling wetness against her neck. Nevertheless, she fell back into her deep sleep, enveloped in warmth.

The next time Skye woke up, she had a rude awakening from her internal clock. She shot her eyes open. The sun was still not out.  _No_. She tried to focus her eyes as she stared around the room.  _Fuck_. No, the  _shades_  were drawn.

Suddenly, Skye was hyper aware of where she was, more like where she wasn’t. She wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t at Ward’s apartment. She felt the softness of the comforter against her skin. Unable to revel in its softness, she peered underneath and realized why it was soft up against her skin.  _Naked_ , as to be expected.

She cursed mentally at herself as she tried to regain some semblance of her previous night. Fearfully, she glance over to the body pillow that was currently hugging her and realized it was the English woman she had met last night.  _Oh god, she is beautiful._

Skye shook her head, now isn’t the time for creepy morning stares. She glanced to the nightstand, where a bright LED light was time stamped 7:20am.

“Shit!” she cursed as she jumped out of the plush comforter. “I am going to be late!”

The minute she got up she felt her legs give out under her and found her face meeting the floor fairly quickly.

“Oh god, are you alright?!” the other woman’s voice came quickly.

Skye pushed herself off the ground slowly, realizing that her thighs and legs were burning like they had run a marathon and she was quite sensitive between her legs. “ _Fuck_ , how many times did we have sex last night?” Skye groaned as she pulled herself on all fours.

“Quite a lot by the looks of it,” the other woman— _Jemma_ , Skye finally remembered, responded. Skye looked up and found the other woman inspecting her naked breasts, that had been littered with hickeys, scratches, and bite marks. “Although, you’re a little worse for the wear, I suppose.” She shot a cheeky smile to Skye before throwing the sheets and getting out of bed.

“I need to find my clothes,” Skye murmured trying to get to her feet. The world felt like it was spinning underneath her momentarily. Shutting her eyes might have been a bad idea, but it helped her get to her feet. The contents of her stomach threatened to fight against her as she found her equilibrium. “Ugh…” She swayed slightly, still feel like her legs would give out at any point.

“I think these are yours,” Jemma said as she approached Skye with a pair of jeans.

Skye rubbed her eyes with her palms before shaking her head. She tried her best to push back the wave of nausea as she stared at the woman in front of her. Jemma had somehow managed to grab a silk robe that had barely attempted to hide the fact that she was naked underneath.

“Shit,” Skye let out unconsciously as she stared at Jemma. She didn’t realize the other woman was a few inches shorter than her. Nor did she realize how even when she just woke up, there were perfect golden brown curls.

Jemma seemed to notice Skye blatantly checking her out and raised her eyebrow at the other woman. “I thought you were late,” she said coyly as she reminded Skye to take her jeans.

“Shit!” Skye took her jeans and began flying around the room to find the rest of her clothes.

“You know, if it’s alright with you, I wouldn’t mind a repeat performance of last night,” Jemma said as she rounded her bed back to her side.

Skye huffed as she found her t-shirt discarded on one of the armoires. She looked around for her bra wondering where the hell they discarded it.

“I mean, the sex was good,” Jemma went on as she bent down to pick something up. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Breaking Skye’s concentration, she looked over at the English woman who did not seem hungover or frantic at all. Then she realized what Jemma had been holding in her hands and felt her body flush. They  _did_ have  **a lot**  of sex, she felt the memories pour back into her mind of Jemma taking her on top and from behind with the strap-on. She felt her legs tremble again.

Jemma laughed playfully as she continued to help Skye look for her clothes. She turned around to her closet door and found a dark bra hanging off the knob. “These yours?”

“Yes!” Skye shot out gratefully, trying to ignore the heat pooling in between her legs.  _This wasn’t the right time._  If she was late for first day, how would it possibly look. She grimaced before finding her underwear hanging off the side of a very expensive plaque. She didn’t have time to read what was on it as she threw her clothes on.

“May, could you get the car ready?” Jemma asked and Skye briefly threw a glance to the other woman, who was on the phone. “My companion from last night will be needing a quick ride back to her flat.”

Skye’s jaw dropped.  _A driver?_  She cursed herself, if she knew she was going to be sleeping with an extremely wealthy person, why would she  _ever_  need a job? She could just become a trophy wife and hack on the side. She quickly shook her head as she pulled on her socks and shoes.

She dropped the phone and started walking out the door. A distinct scent of fresh brewed coffee with an underlying scent of tea wafted into the room. “Tea or coffee?”

“I really couldn’t, you’ve already been really great,” Skye said she got up and found her shoes haphazardly kicked off near the doorway. As she came up from scooping her shoes up from the ground, she didn’t realize their proximity had been. Her breath hitched as she found herself inches from Jemma’s lips.

“I don’t mind at all really,” Jemma insisted with a shrug of her shoulders. She unconsciously licked her lips.

Skye could feel her body whine as she willed herself not to lean forward. Her eyes flitted to Jemma’s lips. “We  _really_  shouldn’t,” her voice dropped huskily. Both of them could feel the magnetic pull between them.

Every time they glanced at one another, they could feel the heat spread throughout their bodies. Or every time they were mere inches apart, they wanted to close the distance and devour one another. Skye thought she was imagining it, but by the way the English woman was staring back her, she knew it was real.

“Until next time then? I can wait,” Jemma supplied politely, her eyes never leave Skye’s lips.

Skye nodded bashfully as she tucked her hair behind her ears. “I think I might’ve given you my number last night?”

The other woman smiled brightly and nodded. “I’ll give you a call,” she said cheerfully. Just as she was about to add something else the phone had begun ringing. She glanced over her shoulder. “It must be the car.”

Skye’s eyes widened. “Right, shoot. I am going to be so late,” she rushed out of the room to try to find the way out. Jemma watched in amusement as she followed the girl out of her bedroom and into the living room.

Skye nearly forgot to put her shoes on and did so hazardously as she flew down the staircase. Who has a staircase in their apartment? Jesus. She barely even registered Jemma following her down until she had reached the bottom with Jemma right on her tail.

“The car should be waiting right as soon as you get outside of this building. May, my head of security, should be on standby for you,” Jemma informed as they both reached the door.

Skye turned around in a huff. “You are such a saint,” she thanked with a bright smile on her face before leaning into kiss Jemma chastely on the lips. “I will definitely be seeing you later, Jemma.”

“As I hope to see you, Skye,” she returned with a blush on her cheeks.

Trying not be any slower than she had already been, Skye threw open the door and flew out of it as quickly as she could. Her heart fluttering as she rushed to the elevator.  _Jemma. Huh._  She smiled to herself.  _Last night was a good night._

Jemma shut the door with a smitten sigh. She was quickly pulled out of her reverie with a cough.

“Oh Fitz!” she greeted with a smile as she saw him standing at the kitchenette island with a cup of tea ready for her.

“I take it you had a good night?” he asked with his Scottish accent more prominent having recently returned from his vacation a few days before her.

“Wonderful,” Jemma said as she picked up her cup of tea and sipped it. She groaned in satisfaction as the warm liquid eased her body. “How soon do you think I’ll be seeing her again?”

Fitz placed his hand on his hip as he raised an eyebrow at Jemma. “Sooner than you think, probably,” he smirked at her, clearly knowing something she hadn’t. She shrugged it off.

“I am going to get ready for work, then, and leave your gross imagination to thrive on its own,” Jemma whirled back up towards the stairs with her cup of tea. “ _Have you found me an assistant yet?!_ ” she yelled back down from her room.

Fitz bit his lips to stop himself from laughing. “Yes, Simmons, you’re going to love her!” he threw back playfully before saying to himself, “She  _really_  should’ve come back to do interviews  _herself_.”


	2. Rule #2: don't be professional

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just keep it professional. That's the way to go really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As part of my holiday writing dash, I finally forced myself to sit down and update this story. Because I'd written it awhile back I am pretty rusty but after this it'll be smooth sails so hopefully I finish it in the next couple of months!

As Skye got downstairs, she stood under the awning wondering who  _May_ was supposed to be.

"Ma'am," an Asian woman with a stern expression wearing sunglasses regarded her from the town car. She stepped aside to open the passenger side door. Skye cringed at being called  _ma'am_.

"May?" Skye questioned as regarded the woman.  _She was Head of Security? I really hope I don't get kidnapped right now. I am already going to be late._ There was a curt nod before Skye got into the car.

May quickly rounded the car for the driver’s seat and peeled into the street.

"Your address?" May asked for as the partition lowered.

"42 Pine St," Skye answered as she stared at May trying to figure her out. She seemed pretty cool. "So...how  _often_ do you have to do this?" There was no response, not even a flicker of her eyes to the rearview mirror that Skye could see under the sunglasses. Skye felt unsettled sitting there in silence with the woman. "So does Jemma just give you a call and boom you're there? Like if anything happened to her, you're suddenly there? Are you  _the Cavalry_?"

The older woman's lips thinned before she finally responded almost instantly, "Don't call me that."

Skye wanted to laugh, finally getting a response from the woman but was quickly shut down as the partition rolled up.

The hacker couldn't help but pout. She knew why she was pestering the head of security over basking in the silence. If she had time to herself to think, all she could focus on was the night before. It was hazy but Skye had remember almost every feeling. She could feel the cool hands of the other woman sliding against her bare skin that sent shivers down her spine. She could feel her fingers pushing into her with abandon. She could feel her lips everywhere on her as if she wanted to commit the taste of skin to memory.

Skye clutched her hands tightly at her sides as the memories poured into her. She felt a cross between ridiculously turned on and unfortunately sick. Her stomach turned rebelliously. "God, I shouldn't have drank so much," she muttered to herself.

Suddenly a chirping grabbed her attention. Her phone was dying. She pulled it out of her back pocket and looked at the screen telling her there was only 5% remaining. She groaned internally before swiping the message aside and seeing there was a voicemail.

_Grant Ward._

_Shit,_  she thought to herself as she opened up the voicemail to listen to.

"Skye...you've got some ' _splaining_ to do." A gratuitous laughter at his own joke followed and Skye rolled her eyes. "No, but seriously. Where the hell did you end up last night? Last I checked, you were at the bar, then on some woman's lap, and  _boom_ you're gone. You totally ditched me last night and I don't appreciate it,  _buuuuuuuuut_ secretly I wanna know all the juicy details. I called you this morning and a woman picked up?  _Skye_! She was English and she sounded fucking hot.  _Oh!_  She also called herself Simmons.  _Dude_ , not to scare you but was that your boss?" Another laugh followed.  _Wait_ \-- "Anyways, I made you my world famous hangover smoothie and left it in the fridge. I am sad I won't see you walk in from your walk of shame but I'll see you later tonight."

Skye closed the message and found herself frozen.

_Jemma. My name is Jemma Simmons._

It's just a coincidence. Skye reasoned. Lots of people have the last name Simmons.  _Right_?

The car slowed down and the partition rolled down.

"We are here," May's voice broke her from her growing apprehension, " _ma'am_."

Skye cringed and quickly got out of the car. She glanced one more time at her phone and realized that she still had half the time she would've had barring the previous night to get ready. She quickly thanked May and got out in front of Ward's apartment building.

Everything became a blur to her as she recalled her morning schedule and switched to autopilot.

_Shower. Make up? Definitely, there's a huuuge hickey. Business casual? Fuck, it's a corporation._

Skye pulled on her best conservative black skirt and blazer combination, the only color she had was the deep purple button down that was tucked snugly into her skirt. Her hair pulled up into a tight ponytail. She stared at herself in the mirror for a few moments and realized how uncomfortable she felt standing in two inch heels.

One of the first things that Skye had noticed about the building when she had first been requested to do an interview was that rivaling Stark Tower, it was the next tallest building. Looking up at it now as she got out of the cab, which costed her an arm and leg... _ugh_ , the height had made her dizzy. She could barely make out the bottom of the sign letting everyone know it was FitzSimmons.

She took a swig of the smoothie Ward had made for her. Her face twisted as she took down the chalky taste. A wave of nausea followed quickly. She groaned.

_Time to face the belly of the beast._

When Skye had walked into the Human Resources department following after the Director Phil Coulson, she felt like she was going to hurl. She quickly chugged the rest of her smoothie and tossed the bottle into the nearest trash can. Her nervousness made her feel unnecessarily hungover.

For an older guy, he sure walked quickly. Skye felt like she was practically cantering after him in her heels.

When they reached his office, he motioned for her to sit down across from him before proceeding to slam down a large binder full of papers. Skye's eyes widened but before she could react, Phil pulled out another file and slid it in front of her as he sat down.

"So this is the last of your paperwork."

"Am I supposed to bench press it?" she joked as she peaked at the first few pages from the binder.

He merely laughed before informing her. "These," he tapped the folder "are confidentiality agreements, memorandum of understanding, and commitment papers for you to sign." He tapped the binder. "This is for you to read. It contains the mission statement, history, and highlights of major projects in the last 10 years. At the end of it you will see your job description as the Executive Assistant to Dr. Simmons."

"Oh jeez, so that job posting was just the tip of the iceberg?" Skye asked as she opened up the folder and looked at the confidentiality agreements

He stared at her almost expressionless. "I  _copied_ and  _pasted_ it from this binder."

Skye felt her whole body heat up, feeling the embarrassment and shame hit her hard. _I swear I better not be sweating through this shirt._

A smile cracked at the corner of his lips. "I am kidding. I made it sound like the easiest job in the world." Skye let out a huge sigh of relief.  _This guy is going to kill me._  "The pay is great. The benefits are amazing. Speaking of which, there is also a section going over your benefits package and 401k as well as any privileges you will have access to. If you have any questions about that feel free to ask me."

Skye gave a weak smile.  _Benefits? 401k? What the hell..._

"The only thing is Dr. Simmons may be a little bit  _difficult_ to deal with."

"How do you mean?" Skye looked confused.  _Why wasn't I warned about this earlier? I could have a boss from hell._

"If there is one thing she doesn't tolerate, it's  _stupidity_."

"Then how come I got it?" Skye said before she could even think to stop herself.  _I am feeling really stupid right now. I have no idea what I am doing anymore._

"Hah. You're smart," he said as if it was the simplest answer in the world. Skye looked at him in confusion.

_What?_

"Dr. Fitz thinks so as well," he quickly added, interrupting her thoughts. "We think that you'll do well in this position. Especially to Dr. Simmons liking. This job can be your maker or breaker."

_Well that's no pressure at all._

Phil stood up suddenly and buttoned his suit jacket. "I am going to give you a few moments to look those documents over and sign them. Afterwards, Dr. Simmons should be settled in and she will let you know what she wants you to do." He tapped the binder thoughtfully for a moment before leaving the room. The look on his face practically told Skye,  _good luck._

Skye looked at the documents and shivered. _Is this what it's like to be an adult with a real full time job?_

The trepidation she felt couldn't be shaken. She could easily fuck up this job with one stupid comment. She palmed her face and groaned before opening up the binder to the last page to see the job description. The least she should do was try and figure out what her days were going to be like until the end of time. Unfortunately, the description was mostly run of the mill barring some personal items for Dr. Simmons.  _She has a stylist? There are photoshoots sometimes? Interviews? What the hell? Is she a celebrity?_

It wasn't until she saw the last bullet.

_Do not ask Dr. Simmons stupid questions._

_Ugh...what does that even mean? How about I just don't ask her questions then?_

After about the longest 15 minutes of her life. Skye finished looking through all of the documents she needed to sign. Somehow with every signature, she felt that her soul was slowly being chipped away at.

However, there was an undeniable thrill in every signature. She was going to be a part of something. A part of a corporation that had so many science and technology projects that she could learn about and appreciate. Even though not directly, she was still there. Despite her heavy sighs, this was her job now.  _All hers._

"Ready to meet her?" Phil asked eerily cheerful. He made her seem like such a tough boss, but he also loved her.

_I swear, if this is the twilight zone, I am calling Ward and getting the fuck out of here._

_Ding...Ding...Ding...Ding...Ding…_

Skye clutched the binder of information tightly in her arms. It gave her some sort of security because they hired her. She was officially the Executive Assistant at FitzSimmons.

They couldn’t fire her.

 _Right_?

_Oh fucking hell._

Skye wasn’t going to take any risks. They weren’t worth it. She needed this job. That meant, keep her head down and mouth shut and do whatever the fuck she was told to do.

They got to the 36th floor when the elevator stopped. Skye took a deep breath as the doors opened.

Phil seemed to notice and pat her on the shoulder. It was a bit awkward but he was at least trying to be nice. “Don’t worry, Dr. Simmons will warm up to you,” he informed.

Skye cracked a smile and followed him off the elevator.

It was to be expected that with such a larger building dedicated to scientific advancement, everything inside was modern and state of the art. For the floor that Skye and Phil had gotten off at, it had been immaculate. It was bright, shiny, and quite possibly the most sterile environment Skye had been in since the last time she ended up at the ER (let’s not talk about that story).

The labs were divided with frosted glass walls and clear glass doors that you barely noticed. Everyone was busy at their work stations, eyes on their notes, white boards, glass boards, microscopes. It all seemed to move quickly.

While everything looked the same at first glance, they took two turns to the right and rooms of frosted glass disappeared. Skye and Phil walked through a small hallway and nearly bumped into a small girl in a lab coat. Skye did a double take, sure that the girl was  _crying_ as she walked in the opposite direction.

After a few moments, they came upon an open space that looked akin corporate offices that Skye was accustomed to from watching too many movies.

There were uncomfortable modern leather couches and an awkward height glass table. At least there was a 42 inch television Skye could capitalize on. After all her desk, which she assumed was her desk, sat perpendicular to a pair of frosted glass doors.

Skye froze. Completely froze. The nausea forced its way up her throat.

The name on the door.

_Jemma Simmons PhD_

Skye blinked.

The doors swung open quickly and a pair of bickering voices followed.

“You can’t keep doing that,” a Scottish accent sounded chastising. “You  _cannot_ keep making interns cry.”

“I do  _not_ make interns  _cry_ ,” a crisp, recognizable English accent followed. “I pointed out that her findings lacked sufficient tests to be taken any further as an independent project.”

Skye remembered that English accent distinctly. In a wildly different circumstance.

Why did she even bother praying? Her mind was not playing games with her.

Skye was coming face to face with the woman; the same woman Skye would’ve gladly become a trophy wife for.

_Jesus, the irony._

Their eyes met. It’s still as electrifying as it was a few hours ago.

Jemma didn’t react explosively, which was a good start. However, she looked different. She was not flirtatious whatsoever. To be frank, she had looked colder. Her lips were thinned and jaw tightened to fix a polite smile on her face.

Regardless, it had turned Skye on anyways. The heat pooled between her legs copiously. The memories of their shared night were too fresh.

_What am I supposed to do?_

“Ah, Leo, Jemma, welcome back,” Phil greeted amiably as he moved to hug the founders.

They returned his warm greeting.

“Jemma, I want you to meet someone.”

_Alright, just play it cool. Be professional, Skye. Don’t think about your fingers inside of her. Or your head between her thighs._

Jemma approached her with Fitz, the man who had been at her interview. Fuck, a founder had been at my interview. He smiled with mirth in his eyes.  _Did he know??_

Skye took a breath.  _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

“Dr. Jemma Simmons,” she said with authority and power that made Skye internally tremble.

_Jemma, fuck, Skye cursed as she felt the woman on top of her pounding in and out at a reckless speed. Her eyes rolled back in her head as the hot breath warmed her neck._

\---------------------

Jemma half wanted to say, “ _You’re fired,_ ” the minute she saw Skye on the other side of her door. She hadn’t anticipated these turn of events.

Last night was the most fun Jemma had in the longest time. Months and months dedicated only to work made her restless. She was yearning for something more than just work and she found it.

The woman sitting on her lap at her table was playful, clever, and unlike Jemma in almost all respects. It was a refreshing change of pace for her. For a second, Jemma thought she’d finally have some luck with someone new. Of course, her luck would run out.

Jemma can’t do this.

They sit in her office. Skye looked nervous as she crossed her legs and balanced the stack of papers on her lap. Jemma used an email as an excuse to stall for more time.

She needed to figure out what to say. What can you say to each other at work when you’ve already seen each other naked? Jemma glanced from the computer screen and saw the makeup on Skye’s neck as she tugged her collar.

_More, fuck, more, Skye cried into her ears as Jemma kept her pace. Jemma smiled into her neck before closing her lips around the sensitive flesh._

“Skye,” Jemma sighed out and watched as Skye sat up straight and alert. She bit the inside of her cheek. “Should we talk about last night?”

The woman widened her eyes and shook her head. “I think it’s best if we didn’t,” she said hastily.

Jemma didn’t know why but a string tugged at her heart. As much as she didn’t want to talk about the events the night before, she didn’t completely want to erase them. Skye stared at her with trepidation in her eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Skye answered honestly.

Jemma could see the trembling in her chest as she spoke. She observed Skye a bit more with curiosity.  _Was she nervous?_  Skye shifted under her eyes. “Skye, this is a very...awkward situation, perhaps it’s best if we didn’t let our personal life affect our work?” Skye shifted in her seat and her skirt fell higher up her thigh. Jemma tried hard to ignore it.

Skye nodded in agreement almost furiously. “Of course, I understand,” she said with enthusiasm. “I think that  _professional_ would be the best way for this to work out.”

Jemma internally sighed. There wasn’t any other way that this could work out. She couldn’t fire the woman on the basis that she wanted to date her. Nor could she fire Skye for sleeping with her. Jemma was sure that would involve some sort of lawsuit.

Jemma had her fun, she supposed, now it was time to get back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that they don't get together...either that that wouldn't make for a very good story


	3. rule #3: hate your boss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye's heard a lot of different things about Dr. Jemma Simmons from people. It's one thing to hear about it and it's another thing to experience it first hand.

Skye feels the heat pool in her belly even as the cool night air is caressing her body. She gasps and shivers, not just from the cool errant breeze, but by the way Jemma Simmons is sucking on her collarbone and cupping her breasts through her bra. 

“ _ Oh god _ ...I've never done this be- _ fore _ ,” Skye admits shakily. She can't tell if her head is spinning from all of the alcohol or from the exhilaration of making out like a teenager in the back of a car. She grips the leather tightly as Jemma kisses up her neck. 

“Have sex in a car?” Jemma murmurs in a low husky voice. Her breath is hot like fire against Skye’s neck. 

Skye whimpers louder than she expects to when Jemma pops open the button to her jeans. She lets out a weak, “Mm  _ hmm _ ,” as her thighs quake on either side of Jemma’s hips. “Moving car.” 

“Come on love, lower yourself,” the English woman encourages as her fingers press gently against Skye’s wet folds. “Ride my fingers?”

The lilt signifies a question but Skye hears it as an order. It turns her on even more because Jemma’s accent, Jemma's orders,  **do** something to her. Skye nods and acquiesces. 

Jemma moans as Skye lowers herself onto her fingers.

“Oh god, oh  _ god _ ,” Skye exhales. It's been  _ so  _ long since she’s had sex. Feeling Jemma’s fingers inside of her, gently massaging her walls, makes it feel like she's being pushed over the edge. She rolls her hips slowly and feels the fingers curl inside of her. She tries to be conscientious as she moves because the angle is awkward with Jemma’s hand in her jeans. 

It can't be comfortable.

Skye forgets to worry when a dull tug at the base of her neck redirects her attention. Jemma has her hand in her hair, tugging not so gently to capture her attention. 

They lock eyes and Skye feels her stomach drop because all she sees is the desire in Jemma’s blown pupils. Skye’s eyes shut as Jemma pushes a third finger in but she hisses when the tug comes again. Her eyes open and Jemma is staring at her intently.

Skye shivers because Jemma is kind, polite, and well spoken. Even if this is the first and last time they’d ever meet, Skye wants to revel in how Jemma has turned into a woman of her fantasies. If she's going to get laid tonight and Jemma's already revealing a slight kink for some power play, Skye is a more than  _ willing  _ participant. 

A guttural moan slips out from Skye lips and she's grasping at Jemma's shoulders as she slowly moves her hips to Jemma's deeply thrusting fingers. Her walls are shuddering.

“ _ Please… _ ” Skye begs unconsciously. A low whine follows.

“Please what?” Jemma asks almost sharply. As if she has no patience.

It drives Skye to quickly respond, “Make me cum.  _ Please _ ,  _ Jemma _ ?” 

There’s a beautiful smile on Jemma’s lips that makes Skye swell. She really likes how Jemma smiles. But they break eye contact and Skye is worried she's said something wrong. Then she feels a pressure against clit and she's coming hard at the unexpected touch. Her whole body seizes and she moans loudly into Jemma’s shoulder as the orgasm crashes into her. 

Suddenly there’s a click and pop and the cool air fills the back seat completely. Skye jumps but Jemma’s arm is protectively holding her close against her body. There's a voice telling them something, but it's somewhat hazing since Skye is coming down from her orgasm. 

In a quick motion, Skye feels something draped out her shoulders and Jemma's hand out of her pants. 

\------------------

Skye jumps up from her dream--more like  **memory** \--with a sweat and aching between her thighs. She looks at the light from the microwave that reads  **5:28am** . 

She can’t go back to sleep. Not when the throbbing between her legs is full force. She hates that it wasn’t a dream. It was a straight up memory. An extremely  _ vivid  _ memory because even though she’s only shared one night with her boss. It was a great night. 

The only problem was that Jemma was her boss. Her boss who wanted nothing more than a  _ professional  _ relationship. Then again, she had agreed.

Skye threw herself back onto the couch with a groan. She’s too awake and horny and way earlier than she expects to be awake. 

_ Why?  _ **_Why?_ **

Skye throws the sheet over her head. 

She focuses so hard on trying to sleep but she can’t. Jemma fills her mind. Not  **Dr. Jemma Simmons** , her  _ boss _ , but Jemma. The woman who asks if they can sleep together, who whispers nasty orders in her ears, who kisses as passionately as she fucks. Skye can tell she’s clever and smart as she’s sweet and kind. 

Completely different from Dr. Jemma Simmons, who avoids eye contact when possible, who speaks curtly and sharply, who destroys interns with a mere withering look. 

Dr. Jemma Simmons is still not the woman that frightens Skye the most though. Skye only fears for her  _ job  _ and how being in such close proximity to Jemma without being able to be  **with** her will drive her to madness. 

_ Focus. This is your first job. You can’t fuck it up because you want to sleep with your boss _ . 

Suddenly, something creaks and Skye tosses the sheet aside to see Ward coming out of his room with his joggers and t-shirt on. 

“Oh, you’re up,” he says genuinely surprised as Skye sits up on the couch. “What’re you doing up so early?”

Skye wrinkles her nose. “Sex dream.”

Ward laughs and pats her shoulder. “You wanna go for a run with me?”

Skye stares at him as if he has multiple heads. “ **Why** would you even ask that?”

“Because I’ll buy you breakfast to cheer you up,” he offers hopefully. Skye thinks about it for a moment. Then he adds, “I’ll even drive you to work.”

Skye brightens at this. “ _ Really _ ?? You have time today?”

He ruffles her hair and holds his hand out for her to grab. “Short day at the precinct today. Apparently, I’ve clocked too much overtime and boss isn’t happy about it.”

Needless to say, the run does help. It helps remind Skye how deeply out of shape she is and how working in the office for a week hasn’t helped one bit. 

One week may not seem like a lot but everyday, Skye is jotting down notes from Jemma about how to do everything that she’s surprised Jemma hasn’t wanted to fire her for having explained every little detail. It was Dr. Simmons’ saving grace for Skye actually, being a nice boss. Then again, Skye can see how particular her boss can get and that is probably why Jemma is even bothering to train her. 

Skye finds herself becoming slowly less apprehensive around her boss. Because it’s her second week, she should have a bit more footing. At least with the basic administrative stuff, answering the phones, organizing schedules, knowing who to contact. It’s all a bit mundane but it seems busy.

They reach the diner a block from Ward’s place. The scent has them both salivating and they both give each other a high five for making it through a 4 mile run. 

They sit at the counter and Kara is there to greet them with a bright smile on her face. 

“You both look happy today,” Kara notes as she pours them fresh orange juice.

“Skye finished her first full week of work.” 

Skye blushes and takes her glass of OJ. She humbly clinks it with Ward’s glass and sips on it. He always had a tendency to be a weird big brother. “It’s nothing really,” she mutters as she hides the smile on her face. 

It did feel good to know she had a job though. Not her dream job, but a job that made money. 

“It’s a big deal,” Ward insists with a joking smile on his face. “Because once you get past four weeks, you can start looking to getting an apartment, so you can stop sleeping on my couch.”

Skye gasps. “Are you kicking me out  _ already _ ?” 

“You know it’s really hard to  _ entertain  _ **guests** when you’re sleeping on the couch.” He wiggles his eyebrows. 

“Gross.”

“Oh _ he is _ ,” Kara chimes in to make Skye gag. Kara blows her a kiss before taking their orders. 

Ward finishes his orange juice with a content exhale and places the glass the down. His attention is all on Skye. “So...how was your first week?”

Skye side eyes her best friend as she sips her orange juice. “Are you my dad?” She throws at him playfully. 

He bumps his shoulders with her. “Come on, we’ve both been busy all week. This is the first time we’re catching up. I wanna hear about it.”

Skye takes a breath. “Alright, it’s super overwhelming. I don’t even know where to begin. It’s so cool to be around all the science because I’ve gone through all the floors for Jemma, making sure everyone has what they need for her. The things that I get to see! The R&D departments are doing so much, I wish I could disclose all the cool projects they’re working on but the NDA and all. It’s just so groundbreaking. I haven’t had time to read the documents I’ve been getting for her but just the ideas alone are so cool. People are so creative!

But all of the stuff Jemma works with is so important because she’s a Founder and all. Everytime she asks me to get something for her, I have to practically triple check it to make sure I’ve gotten the right things. On top of that, organizing someone else’s life is no joke. Jemma wasn’t kidding when she said she went abroad to do research because she came back with like 6 months worth of notes. And she was only gone for three! She wants the notes annotated, organized, and filed--god knows where or how--”

Ward pats her on the back mid sentence because she doesn’t realize she hasn’t breathed since she started explaining what she’s been feeling to anyone. She just wants to take it one day at a time and soak up as much as she can. 

“It’s like all of this stuff is ridiculously easy to pick up on. It’s so straightforward anyone can do it. Anyone  _ better than me _ can do it. I’ve read the manuals all the way through the policies--and  _ you know  _ **no one** ever reads the terms and agreement--and I’ve done everything I am told. When I don’t know what to do, I google it and just do it. And it gets done. Yet, here I am, freaking out over every little detail, getting anxious over every minute, my name gets called because I think I’ve done something wrong. Like is this how all jobs are like?”

“Fake it until you make it?” Ward jokes with a smile. “That’s pretty much adulthood.”

Skye groans. “That doesn’t help.”

“Aw come on, it’s only the first week. It feels like you don’t know anything but you’ll get more comfortable as you go on,” he clarifies as sagely as he can. 

Skye shakes her head because the work itself is only the surface of the issue. Waking up everyday with an ache between her legs. Going to work with her heart trembling in anticipation. Listening to Jemma talking for more than half her day. 

“It doesn’t help that my boss is Jemma,” she admits honestly. She takes a large gulp of her orange juice and exhales. “I  _ think  _ I still--have feelings for her.”

Ward makes a face as if he’s unsure of how to react but he’s sympathetic as well. 

Skye pulls her chin back with a grimace. Feelings. “I’m not sure, it’s just whenever I’m around her, I feel---funny,” she sort of wants to whine. She exhales loudly, trying to get the weight off her chest. “I should be focusing on work shouldn’t I? This job is really important to me.”

Ward cracks her a smile. “Always focus on what’s most important to you, alright?” He taps at the counter rhythmically. “The way I see it, you need some real world experience. You sound like you really enjoy this job and love the perks that you’re getting with it. The pay is great, the boss isn’t terrible, those are good things. Keep those in mind first.” He bumps his shoulders with Skye. “Also, maybe your boss has feelings for you too. You guys should sleep with each other again to get it out of your system.”

“Dude, I  _ can’t  _ do that.” She punches Ward’s shoulder with a blush. 

\----------------

But she can. She  _ totally  _ can. 

Skye can  _ sleep  _ with Jemma again. 

There is no rule in the giant handbook saying that they can’t sleep together. There’s a section on sexual harassment in the workplace but Skye’s cleared that up with Jemma. Right? Keeping it professional isn’t a form of harassment. 

Jemma hasn’t been flirtatious. Skye hasn’t been flirtatious. 

Jemma hasn’t touched her inappropriately. Skye hasn’t touched her inappropriately.

Jemma hasn’t made her feel uncomfortable. And Skye hopes she hasn’t made her feel uncomfortable. 

Now Skye feels uncomfortable because of herself. **No** .  _ Because of Ward. Because of her dream. Because of Jemma.  _

Skye is trying to find a suitable program to organize all of Jemma’s notes. Meaning all of Jemma’s notes in the last three months and the last year alone because for someone so smart, Jemma is a bit disorganized. 

Then again, that’s probably why Jemma’s assistants never last because they can’t get her shit together. 

Skye grumbles. She’s cross between doing her job and going above and beyond. It’s just a job, should she go above and beyond? Does she have to? Is that a thing? What if she goes above and beyond and it’s just a huge mistake?

**Beep** . 

The phone interrupts Skye’s thoughts, putting a pause on her research.

“Skye, could you come into my office?” Jemma’s voice comes through the phone page. 

Skye makes a mental note of where in her research she is before grabbing the tablet and stylus before heading into Jemma’s office. She tugs at her skirt uncomfortably because it’s ridden up from sitting for too long. Also, she hates wearing skirts but it looks a lot more professional than her slacks. 

She makes another note to herself for a shopping list because she’ll probably be able to afford something more than three skirts, she’s been rotating with ten different tops. God, if she worked in IT, she’s sure this wouldn’t be a problem. She’d be able to wear whatever she wants.

“Dr. Simmons,” she greets, ready and attentive.

The window is open slightly letting an errant breeze caress her legs. Skye feels the breeze creeping up her skirt and tries not to fidget as Jemma continues to check something on her computer. The doctor’s brow furrows at the computer as she clicks the mouse with increasing fury.

Skye awkwardly stands for a moment because Jemma is either ignoring her presence or is completely unaware. “Dr. Simmons?” 

“Get me the number for IT, please,” Jemma lets out with an exasperated sigh. 

Skye wants to laugh because of how frustrated Jemma seems with her computer and walks over to her boss’ desk instead. “Maybe I can help,” she offers as she rounds the desk. 

Jemma doesn’t say anything but raises an eyebrow at her before pushing her seat back from the computer. 

Troubleshooting is never an issue. Sometimes it’s just a fresh set of eyes that need to look at things. Maybe it’s the hardware. Maybe it’s the software. Skye had enough run ins with college students to know that it’s probably the user’s fault the computer isn’t working.  _ Ah, look at all of these applications, Dr. Simmons has running.  _ She checks the RAM on the computer and the strength of connectivity, while the program Jemma is working on actually loads. 

_ Wow, this is a multimillion dollar company? _

“What’s wrong with it exactly?” Jemma’s voice cuts through Skye’s thoughts.

The exasperation is still in her voice and Skye is doing her best to make sure she fiddles quickly enough. She tries to keep a poker face.

“I don’t like technology, but that doesn’t mean I’m entirely inept.”

_ Busted _ . Skye turns her head and shrugs her shoulders coyly so that her boss is more amused than annoyed. “Well, the problem is that you have too many programs running for it to be efficient.” Jemma just stares and her face says a couple of different things that makes Skye’s heart pound. “And your system is kind of a bust.” She furrows her brow wondering if that was the most professional way to put it. “I can talk to the IT director later today to see about upgrades because your computer has a ram speed of a tortoise.”

Jemma raises her eyebrows in amusement. 

“Until then, I suggest lesser high powered programs so that your computer’s back doesn’t break--so that your computer can function at the efficiency your work requires.” Skye mentally pats herself on the back for sounding professional. 

In the corner of her eyes, the program Jemma was struggling finishes loading her previous command with a ping. She steps back from the computer. “I suggest saving it and restarting your computer.

“Well aren't you versatile,” Jemma remarks with a small smile at the corner of her lips. 

“Did you need anything else?” 

Jemma looks like she wants to make a sly comment with the glint in her eyes. It sends a swirl of warmth deep inside Skye’s stomach. There's a small thrill at the thought of Jemma asking for assistance in a little more unconventional ways. Ways that would involve Skye naked on her desk.

Skye tugs at her collar, feeling hot. It wasn't like she was patiently waiting for Jemma to fuck her or anything. They can't because they're two professional women, where Jemma is her boss. But they're also two consenting  _ adults  _ who are attracted to each other, especially by the way Jemma is staring at her.

“I need you to get me reports on all of the interns and their independent projects by my 4:00pm meeting. There should be about 50 between Fitz and myself, make sure to annotate either one of us,” Jemma says as she turns her attention to the notepad sitting next to her. “Any intern under my authority that does not have an independent project, have them clear their benches by the end of today.”

Skye does a double take. “You want me to fire the interns that don't have independent projects?”

In the back of her mind, she wonders if this is one of the stupid questions that she was directed not to ask because the older woman is staring at her as if she didn't hear Skye correctly.

Skye's never fired anyone before and it’s only her second week on the job. 

_ Does I have that kind of authority? _

“Do I need to repeat myself?” Her voice is clipped.

Skye shakes her head quickly. This is something that she couldn’t argue with. “Is there anything else that you needed?” 

“Tea.”

\----------------

_ How can she do that? How can she make me do that?  _

There’s a wrenching feeling in Skye’s stomach as she waits for the water to boil in the small kitchen down the hall. She glances at the clock. 

**10:03am**

She has about 6 hours until Dr. Simmons’ meeting with Dr. Fitz, meaning that is probably when they’re both going to do assessments on their interns to see who they would be firing. More like firing Dr. Simmons’ interns because she doesn’t have authority over Fitz’s it would seem. 

At least that’s good for Fitz’s interns. 

Skye thinks as her tablet lights up on the counter. _ I really hope they all have their independent projects.  _ She picks up the device and sees at least twenty of the interns have already sent a document attached. It was a good sign because it’s only been a few minutes since she sent the email blast to the interns. 

“You look like you could use an ice cream.” 

Skye nearly drops the tablet at the sound of the voice. She looks up to see Phil standing there eating an ice cream sandwich.

She tries to hold back her incredulity but shares an amused smile regardless. “No, thank you,” she says, even though that’d probably make her feel a modicum better. “I think it might just be a bit too early for ice cream.”

He shrugs. “Never too early for a pick me up,” he says as he leans against the counter. “How are you doing?”

_ Maybe he can help. _

“So Jem-- _ Dr. Simmons _ wants me to check with all the interns to make sure that they have independent projects--”

“She will do that every couple of weeks.”

“Right--good to know--and she said...any intern that doesn’t have an independent project can clear their bench by the end of the day. Can I...do  _ I _ have the authority to do that?”

Phil snorts as he takes another bite of his ice cream sandwich. “Of course you do.”

For a moment, Skye thinks he’s being sarcastic but he really isn’t. Because that means some poor kid is going to be shit out of luck if she doesn’t get their project. 

Phil seems to read her and frowns before holding out his ice cream. “Are you sure you don’t want a bite?” 

This time Skye takes it and takes a sad bite. She’s kind of glad she took it. 

“Finish it, I’ve got a secret stash,” he says with a smile on his face. He grabs a napkin to clean his fingers. “We’ve seen Dr. Simmons go through a lot of interns since she began taking them two years ago.” 

“That’s pretty recent.” 

Phil nods in agreement. “There’s a reason for that. Just because she’s around the top of the food chain, it doesn’t mean that no one is breathing down her neck. There are a lot of projects that Jemma invests time into on her own. Jemma is very practical and independent. She and Fitz are certified geniuses, self taught and all that. She likes to stay focused on things that matter to her so that she can do the best work that she can do. So yes, she can be very particular.”

Skye can’t disagree.

“I’ve heard numerous complaints about her since I’ve started working here: ‘she’s cold, rude--she is terrifying,’ You get the idea. I don’t think anyone that’s ever complained about her decided to stay much longer.” He leans in and drops his voice a bit. “But for those who stayed? Never had a complaint. In fact, I do the post assessment and many of them were really happy by the end of the internship. Some of them still work here as employees.”

“No kidding?”

Phil smiles at her. “Give it time. It may seem hard to fire someone at first but the good doctor has her reasons. You’ll see.” He gives her a light pat on her shoulder. 

For some reason, Skye feels a bit better. At least her stomach isn’t wrenched up anymore. But she probably thinks it’s because of the ice cream. “Thanks, Mr. Coulson.”

He cringes. “Please, call me Phil. Mr. Coulson is my dad.” Skye smiles at him as he moves to leave the kitchen before turning back. “Try not to eat too much ice cream. Wouldn’t want you to get a tummy ache.”

All Skye can do is roll her eyes. She finishes the ice cream sandwich anyways and the discomfort in her stomach is totally worth it. At least until she has to fire someone. 

She really hopes she doesn’t have to.

\----------------

Good news. She doesn’t need to fire anyone yet. 

Then again, it is only lunch time. Meaning that the four that have not sent in their independent projects will have until after she gets back from picking up Dr. Simmons’ lunch before she goes to check on them personally

Just as she steps back into the building, she receives an email.

**From** : Dr. Banner

**To** : Dr. Simmons

**Cc** : Skye Johnson

_ I will be available 4:30pm today for our meeting. _

Another email comes through.

**From** : Dr. Simmons

**To** : Skye Johnson

_ Move my meeting with Fitz up to 3:00pm. _

She pauses at the elevator. She quickly changes her boss’s schedule, emails Dr. Fitz, and confirms Dr. Banner. 

She glances at the time.

**1:47pm**

There’s probably a reason why these four interns haven’t responded. A  _ really  _ good reason. Skye is hoping for the best because she’s going to go find them as soon as Dr. Simmons gets her lunch. Maybe if she just talked to them, she could figure out what’s really going on. 

There’s no chance in hell she’s going to tell some poor kid that they’re getting fired. 

The door to Jemma’s office is open and Skye peers in to see Jemma staring at her screen with her pen in her mouth as she types something. She looks adorable.

Jemma notices her presence and drops the pen from her lips. “Ah good, come in.” She gets up and moves towards the couch.

Skye doesn’t say anything and places her lunch on the coffee table. She turns to the door when Jemma says, “Skye.”

She turns around and Jemma is sitting on the couch opening up her lunch. “Yes, Dr. Simmons?”

There’s a look that flashes across Jemma’s face but it quickly goes away. She clears her throat. “Have you had lunch?”

Skye glances back at her desk, where her lunch is sitting. “Not yet.”

“Would you like to join me?” 

Her heart literally jumps inside of her chest. Even if it’s just lunch, Jemma’s voice just sounds different. Shy. Unsure. 

“Uh--” Skye shifts, looking at the clock.

“I’m sorry if that was improper for me to ask,” Jemma suddenly says quickly. “I just figured, since you haven’t eaten and you’ve brought our lunches…”

“It’s just I have some work to do for you that I just want to make sure gets done,” Skye says quickly. She would love to have lunch with her boss-- _ Jemma _ \--- **_ugh_ ** .  _ Stupid interns.  _ “It’s--”

“I am sure it can wait.”

Skye wants to say,  _ Yes it can totally wait. It’s totally fine. No sucker is going to get fired today _ , but the words stick in the back of her throat. 

Then of course, Jemma shoots her a look because Skye apparently has no control over her face and Jemma can read her like a book. “This is concerning the interns, isn’t it?”

“...yes?”

Jemma looks at the clock. “Are there some that haven’t turned in their project yet?” 

“Yes.”

“How many?” 

“Four.”

Jemma narrows her eyes.  _ This cannot be good.  _ “Fire them.” 

“But wait, there is still time. I am sure if I check my email, they could’ve sent it to me already.”

“What time did you last email them?”

Skye bites her cheek. “Before I left to pick up your lunch.”

“If they haven’t gotten it to you by the time that you entered this building with my lunch, consider them fired.”

“But they still have time!” Skye unintentionally raises her voice. She really just doesn’t want to fire anyone.  _ It’s not right. They probably have a good explanation for this. _ She was going to find out. 

Jemma sort of sighs as she looks at Skye. “If they had a project, they would’ve already sent it to you as soon as you notified them the first time. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. There are people that think they can skirt through this internship, but many of them don’t make it through for this reason.”

“Maybe there is a good explanation for this,” Skye reasons. Or at least she  _ tries  _ to.

Jemma stands up now. And funny enough, even if Skye has a couple inches on the British woman, she stands taller than Skye. “Come.” 

Skye internally groans as Jemma brushes by her out the door. The last time Jemma said that Skye was getting an orgasm. Now it’s for a completely different reason. 

“What’re you going to do?” Skye asks nervously as they stand in the elevator together. 

Jemma stares straight ahead at the metal doors and doesn’t answer. Her eyes are dark and her jaw is tight.

Luckily, the elevator ride is quick. Well lucky is a relative term at this point. 

Jemma gets off and moves through the floor quickly too the lab the interns all share. Skye canters after the woman quickly and feels her heart rate go up.

As soon as Jemma enters the lab, the quiet discussion and work completely ceases. And just like the cool air in the room, Skye’s blood runs just as cold because Jemma stands with her hand on her hips and a scowl on her face. 

“Who are the four that haven’t turned in their independent project?” she cuts into the room full of interns. They all just stare at one another, some in confusion, others in fear for each other. 

“Do you think this is a good idea?” Skye quietly whispers to her boss. She  _ knows  _ where this is going and she doesn’t like it one bit. 

Jemma raises her hand to silence Skye. “Well?” she says into the lab. “I won’t repeat myself. The four that haven’t turned in their independent projects.”

After a quiet clatter and low scratch of metal against the floor, the four emerge. All of them carrying varying degrees of expression. One of them looking completely clueless. One of them looking completely guilty. One of them looking too confident. And the last looking a bit angry?

Jemma looks at each of them as they stand before her. “The four of you can clear your benches by the end of the day.” And just like that, they erupt but Jemma goes on, voice clipped, “This is  **not** up for discussion. When you received your acceptance into this program, you were given specific guidelines to follow. This is an  **unacceptable** standard if any of you had any respect or appreciation for your studies. I  _ will not _ teach students who do not want to be taught nor will I wait for those who are  _ lazy _ .” The confident one and angry one open their mouths because Jemma shuts them down again. “I will not waste my time listening to explanations, do not bother arguing. Skye will collect your boxes and set up your exit interview.”

There really isn’t any room for arguing because Jemma does a sweep of the room and everyone averts their stares from her and goes back to their work. The four that stood before Jemma are left behind looking completely dejected, one of them looks like they were about bawl, and Skye shoots them a sympathetic look before following after Jemma. 

“Hey, was that really necessary?” Skye asks quickly as she gets onto the elevator with Jemma. 

Jemma is stone faced now. Her jaw looks like it is screwed shut and her eyes are still glaring, this time at the elevator doors as if they offended her. “Are you questioning my decision?” 

Skye’s jaw drops because she’s not sure how to take that. To take this  _ version  _ of Jemma she’s never seen before. The whole elevator feels cold. “I am sure you had your reasons but you didn’t even hear them out. Why didn’t you even listen to what they had to say?”

“Do you think that would change the fact that they were unprepared?” her boss shoots back rhetorically. 

“Maybe!” Jemma glares at her. “Okay, fine. It was rhetorical, I get it, but doing that in front of  _ everyone _ ?”

“It’s clear that you can’t simple tasks without asking questions,” Jemma says mockingly. Skye recoils at this because all of her insecurities start creeping from the back of her mind. It doesn’t instill fear though. “When I tell you to do your job, you do it, do you understand me? Or do you have a question about that as well?”

The tone that Jemma speaks to Skye with sets something off in her. And Skye puffs up her chest defensively and feels the ball of nervousness dissolve into pure anger. No one speaks to her like that. No one can condescend her. She did not work so hard for _ this fuc- _ -

The elevator dings and Jemma doesn’t wait for Skye as she makes a beeline for her office. 

Skye stands in the elevator as the door closes. Her heart pounding from the anger that’s pumping through her veins. She clenches her hands at the sides of her head as her eyes start to sting. She’s beyond furious. 

Who was Jemma to speak to her like that? So she asks questions. She wants to learn. She wants to know things. She wants to understand what the fuck is going on in Jemma’s head to think that was okay. To think that it was okay to belittle her like some stupid--

_ Does she not understand anymore how hard it is to fire someone? Does she not feel anything? Or understand what it’s like to work for something and get nothing out of it?  _

Jemma doesn’t get to make her feel like shit for doing the best she can. For  _ everyone _ . Skye feels something twist inside of her because there’s a  **better** way to have done that. She just  _ knows  _ it. 

Her cheeks start to get wet and Skye jumps out of her thoughts. She is shaking as the tears fall. She tries to steady her breaths so she can calm down. Her heart is still racing from her emotions but she knows better than to cry at work. That is  _ definitely  _ **not** professional. 

The elevator starts to move down and Skye curses. She quickly wipes her eyes because someone is going to get on this elevator and she cannot look like the new girl that started crying at work because her boss yelled at her. 

The doors slide open and Dr. Fitz looks startled as he sees Skye in the elevator already. 

“Hello there, Skye,” he greets amicably as he gets onto the elevator with a Doctor Who lunch box clasped in his hands. 

Thankfully it’s just him.

“Hey,” she sort of rasps out before she clears her throat.

“What’re you doing here?” he asks as he presses the button back to Jemma’s floor.

Skye just shakes her head. She doesn’t even trust her own voice. “Just--stupidly forgot to get off the elevator.”

Dr. Fitz stares at her curiously. Skye tries to avert her eyes, hoping that they’re not red from crying. “Are you okay?” 

Skye nods. “Absolutely, just had some-thing in my eyes,” she answers through her cracked voice. “I just have to go to the bathroom and get it out. Must’ve been dust or something.”

The co-founder looks like confused now. He just stares at her with concern. Skye just tries to laugh it off even though it still feels like a raging whirlwind in her heart. “Do you know why Dr. Simmons has moved up our meeting?”

Skye’s jaw drops. “Shit--” she breathes out. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Fitz.” She says quickly. She should’ve been at her desk instead of  _ crying  _ in the  _ fucking  _ **elevator** . 

The door dings open and Skye rushes out to her desk. If Jemma moved up the meeting that means she wants the files on the interns ready. Luckily, they are ready.

Just as she rounds the corner she can hear, “Skye!” 

Jemma is halfway out her door when Skye reaches her desk. 

“Yes, Dr. Simmons?” she says quickly and calmly as she can. She really doesn’t care if her eyes look red because she’s not looking directly at her boss right now. 

Skye misses the curious look Jemma has for her. “I need the files on the interns, Dr. Fitz should be here any minute.”

“Of course, I will bring them right in,” Skye says, looking down and organizing the folders into their appropriate groupings. 

“We will also need the list of interns for notations.”

Skye nods and reaches for the sheets she’s already printed. “All here.”

There’s a pause that Skye doesn’t look up for. “Bring them in.”

Skye nods again. Her eyes really hurt from crying and she just wants to get the rest of the tears out so she can focus on work. She grabs the folders quickly and the sheets for her boss. 

Her boss who she desperately doesn’t want to let know that she cried after their little argument in the elevator. Skye is a tough girl. She just has emotions sometimes. Emotions that don’t usually come out in a professional setting but there’s a first time for everything. 

Skye places the folders down on the table in two groups and places the sheets on both of the stacks. “Is there anything else, Dr. Simmons?”

When her boss doesn’t respond right away, Skye glances up to see Dr. Simmons staring at her and she quickly averts her eyes to look out the window. She can’t do this right now. They were literally arguing a few minutes before and Skye was definitely going to say something to get herself fired. 

There’s a small sigh. “No, that’ll be all for now. Thank you.”

_ Thank god.  _ Skye quickly leaves the room. She can go to the bathroom and wash off the evidence of her crying.

\----------------

When Fitz turns the corner to Jemma’s office, Skye is coming out wiping her eyes. He tries not to say anything because he knows that Skye tried really hard in the elevator to hide the fact she had cried. He gives her a weak smile and she nods before walking by him. No doubt to wash her face. 

Suddenly she pauses to turns back to the door, cracking it open for her head. “Dr. Simmons, Dr. Fitz is here.”

He gives her kudos on doing her job though. He hears Jemma’s voice and Skye says to him, “She’s ready whenever you are.”

“Thank you,” he says, at least sounding grateful for her efforts. She gives a small smile as she walks by him. He is going to find out what happened, no doubt it was because of his lovely cousin. 

Jemma is sitting on the couch, head thrown back with her lunch on her lap, looking exhausted. 

“What did you  _ do _ ?” he demands quickly as he shuts the door behind him.

She sort of sighs with annoyance as she picks up her head. “What do you mean what did  _ I  _ do?”

“You do realize that your assistant is deeply  _ upset _ ? Or do you not recognize the signs of crying anymore? You know red face, puffy eyes--”

Jemma takes a forkful of food into her mouth. Avoiding the questions.

Fitz glares at her as he sits down next to her. “ _ Jemma _ .” 

“What?” 

“You know  _ what _ !”

There’s a small whine that comes out from her. Luckily, as her cousin, he is privileged to Jemma and not Dr. Simmons. 

“What happened?” 

Jemma looks at him like she doesn’t want to answer but he shoots her a look right back. She concedes after a moment. “I wanted to meet with you to assess our interns.”

“Jemma--”

“I told Skye to get these files ready for us and organize them. Anyone that didn’t produce an independent project, she would have clear their benches by the end of today. We had a disagreement because clearly she couldn’t muster up the courage to fire the four that I’ve been meaning to fire.”

“Oh, the bunch from DC?” Fitz thinks of.

“Yes! I wasn’t the one that hired them and I’ve seen their recommendations, they were such weak candidates,” Jemma groans in frustration and takes another bite. “So I brought Skye to go fire the four myself.”

Fitz cringes. “You did it in interns’ lab?”

“Where  _ else  _ would I do it?” Jemma asks obliviously. He knows how Jemma is but Skye doesn’t. 

“That isn’t the whole story is it?” Fitz waits for her. “Because I found her in the elevator minutes after you sent the email demanding me to come up for lunch and moving up our meeting.”

Jemma looks ridiculously guilty now. And it makes Fitz’s a bit startled because firing lazy interns has never been an issue for Jemma. 

“What did you  _ say _ , Jemma?”

She huffs in annoyance and opens her mouth. 

“Tell me verbatim,” Fitz demands. 

Jemma glares. “‘ _ It’s clear that you can’t simple tasks without asking questions. When I tell you to do your job, you do it, do you understand me? Or do you have a question about that as well? _ ’” Fitz lets out a sound of disbelief because he’s heard Jemma be condescending before, but that was down right mean. 

“ _ Why _ would you say that to her?” he asks incredulously. He loves Jemma to death but sometimes… “You  _ literally  _ hurt her feelings.”

“She kept questioning me.  _ ‘Why did you do that? Why didn’t you listen to them first? Did it have to be there? _ ’ If she saw the performance of those four and the poor quality of their work, she would feel the same way!” Jemma eats another forkful of her lunch. “And you  _ know  _ how much I despise those questions.”

“I know, oh,  _ I _ know that and I understand why you do the things you do, but it doesn’t mean that you can be  _ mean _ .”

“I’m mean to you all the time.”

“I literally do not control you, Jemma, you won’t listen to me anymore anyways.”

“And what? You want me to start listening to some new assistant about her opinions on how I handle my interns? Next thing, you’re going to tell me to listen to her suggestions on our business.”

Fitz exhales. His cousin has been spending far too much time on her own, being at her level of intelligence constantly. The expectation that everyone should be there as well, that’s just unreasonable sometimes. “You know, Auntie takes care of business. And  _ yes _ ,  **clearly** you  _ should  _ listen to your assistant because you look guilty. You feel guilty. And for the love of god, for the first time in so long, clearly her feelings matter to you.”

This catches Jemma’s attention. She stares at him almost furiously that he would bring it up. She told him in confidence, not so he could use it against her. 

“Talk to her. She’s not me, she’s not versed in the nuances of Jemma Simmons. All she sees right now is Dr. Simmons and after what you’ve said to her today, do your really think she will still like you?” 

Jemma purses her lips as she deflates into the couch. 

Fitz wasn’t wrong. 

He has full faith in Skye. He wouldn’t have hired her if he didn’t think she could handle Jemma. Jemma just needs to communicate with her, not just professionally, but clearly emotionally. 

Maybe it’ll do them both some good.

\----------------

The rest of the day runs pretty smoothly for Skye. By the time she managed to get to the bathroom, she tried to look on the bright side of things.

_ She wasn’t fired.  _

There were  _ so many  _ things that she wanted to say to Jemma but she knew better as a young professional. Especially as a young professional who needs this job to quite possibly get  **_other_ ** jobs. 

She tries not to let what happened in the interns’ lab and the elevator get to her. 

Phil’s words come back to her,  _ It may seem hard to fire someone at first but the good doctor has her reasons. _

It doesn’t change the fact that she had to get the paperwork and exit interviews ready for the four newly unemployed interns. There’s wrenching anger in the pit of her stomach didn’t go away because _ Dr. Simmons was a fucking bitc _ h. She can only think that because how can someone just fire people with no remorse, no explanation, nothing? On top of that, Skye felt  **_stupid_ ** . Stupid for asking those questions. Stupid for trying to help those interns. Stupid for trying to get Jemma to see that was not okay. 

_ You can’t just publicly shame people like that. No one likes being put on the spot. And no one likes being embarrassed like that.  _

She looks at the clock. 

Generally, Skye leaves the office once her eight hours are up for the day. If Jemma has a project she wants done, Skye will finish it up, so it’ll make her leave a bit later. 

But after today, as much as she wants to leave ASAP, Jemma stopped her and asked her to stay to talk after her meeting with Dr. Banner. 

It was close to 7 o’ clock and everyone was probably gone on the floor by now. 

It only fuels her anger more.  _ Dr. Jemma Simmons is indescribable. God, she pisses me off. I have a story for Ward today. God, she’s such a bitch.  _

Skye internally groans.  _ How _ ?  _ How did this happen to me?  _

_ How is Dr. Simmons so much different from Jemma? And how come it seems like Jemma is more there than Dr. Simmons? Like why does she have to be Dr. Simmons?  _

_ Why can’t she be Jemma? Just Jemma Simmons, woman who can pick up other women with her dorky nerdiness or her confident sexuality? _

Skye buries her face in her hands. She’s mad at Dr. Simmons,  _ easily _ . She’s a bitch and said some really hurtful things. But it’s the same person. The same person that Skye knows she still has feelings for because there’s _ more than just  _ Dr. Simmons.

All in all, she doesn’t want to talk to Jemma because then she’s going to have to bring this up. The fact that she knows Dr. Simmons on an unprofessional level can only be her downfall in her professionalism. 

And they said they wanted to keep it professional. 

No matter how much Skye deep, deep,  _ deep down _ in the depths of the Mariana Trenches, wishes they hadn’t. 

Suddenly, she hears the door click and there’s an amicable laugh between the two scientists as they exit. Dr. Banner looks nice enough and Jemma clearly enjoys his company. Skye tries to ignore the twisting feeling in her stomach as they hug goodbye. 

Once Dr. Banner is out of sight, it’s just Skye and Dr. Simmons. It’s then that Skye realizes that they could possibly be completely alone on this whole entire floor at least. She tries not to let that distract her from the fact that she’s still hurt and pissed at her boss. 

“Skye, my office.”

Skye swallows thickly. _ It’s that voice _ . The accent and the commands. They just do something to her. 

Skye follows her boss into her office and unconsciously shuts the door behind her even though no one is on the calendar for the rest of the evening. 

Jemma moves towards her desk and instead of sitting behind it, she stands in front of it and leans back. Her hand gestures for Skye to sit in the chair before her. 

Skye is over this. All she wants to do is go home, put on her PJs, and cry on Ward’s shoulder about this shitty day. She doesn’t want to sit here just to get yelled at some more. 

“What can I do for you, Dr. Simmons?” the assistant says dutifully. 

Jemma makes a face followed by a sigh. It takes another moment before she actually says anything. And it surprises Skye when she says, “I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I understand that I may have hurt your feelings.”

Skye’s jaw drops. “Are you  _ kidding  _ me?” she unconsciously blurts out loud.

Jemma looks amused at Skye’s reaction. “I’m sure you are not that surprised. I understand I can be a bit cold, but there’s a lot of me you don’t know about.”

“ _ Clearly _ . I’ve only been your assistant for a  _ week _ .”

“No matter. It was wrong of me to assume that you were at my level of thinking.”

**Did she just--** “ _ Excuse me _ ?”

Jemma looks at her in confusion. “It’s as I said, I was under the  _ assumption  _ that you could understand me and my methods and  _ keep  _ up but it seems as if you need more guidance.”

“I don’t need you to _ hold my hand  _ if that’s why you’re saying,” Skye shoots back as her back straightens in her seat. She understood that Jemma could be cold and rude but this was downright arrogant. 

“But after today’s performance and your abundance of questions, it seems as if we are going to need to spend a lot of time together to understand one another,” Jemma says with a hopeful look on her face. Skye just widens her eyes in shock. “Just so you can get a  _ basic understanding  _ of  _ how  _ I  _ want  _ you to work  **_under_ ** **me** . I thought it was  _ straightforward  _ but you showed me that there are ambiguities in your responsibilities that you cannot  _ quite comprehend _ .”

“Are you  _ fucking  _ kidding me?” Skye shoots out of her chair at this point. There’s only so much of this she can take. “If you think that I am some  _ stupid  _ girl that doesn’t know how to run some errands, organize some schedules, and print some shit, you’re  **so** wrong. You are  _ far  _ from the truth because I know I am  _ better  _ than this job. I  _ know  _ that I can do better and I should be doing  _ better  _ because I have a fucking  **_Master’s degree_ ** in computer science  _ and  _ cyber securities. I could be working for Fortune 500 companies but you have me being your  _ bitch _ . And you are so callous and rude and a downright bitch that it’s a wonder anyone wants to work for you!” Jemma looks taken aback, like she can’t say anything to that. 

**Good** , Skye thinks.

“Yeah, fuck this. I quit.”

Skye doesn’t wait for a response and makes her way for the door. Head high and shoulders strong.

_ Mic drop. I am out. _

“ _ Skye _ !” 

Skye turns around and feels something hit her waist before she turns, seeing the ground rushing up to meet her. 

Skye jerks to life at the sound of the door clicking open. She feels the dampness at the corner of her lips.

It was a dream.

It was so satisfying too. Skye rubbed her eyes and checked the clock. She wipes the drool off her face quickly. It was just past 7 o’ clock.

There’s an amicable laugh between the two scientists as they exit. Dr. Banner looks nice enough and Jemma clearly enjoys his company. Skye tries to ignore the twisting feeling in her stomach as they hug goodbye.

Once Dr. Banner is out of sight, Skye stares at her boss and waits for her. 

It feels like deja vu all over again except Skye kind of hopes that it doesn’t turn out the way her dream had. She’d like to keep this paying job, no matter what. She’s tough. She’s got it.

Until,  _ “Skye, my office.” _

Yup, same effect. It’s definitely the accent and the commanding voice. Skye mentally kicks herself as she follows Jemma into her office. 

She really hopes this doesn’t turn out like her dream. She leaves the door open and turns to see Jemma leaning against her desk, gesturing for her to sit down before her. 

“What can I do for you, Dr. Simmons?” Skye asks carefully as she sits down. She’s too tired to even care that her skirts ridden up again as she tries to sit confidently before her boss.

Jemma bites her bottom lip as she stares at Skye. It takes her a moment to tear her eyes away from Skye. Her expression changes as she inhales through her nose and exhales through her mouth looking surprisingly disappointed.

Skye instantly feels worse. She hates that feeling of being the source of disappointment. 

“Have you collected the four boxes?”

She has to pause at the question before she realizes what Jemma’s talking about. “I have not yet. I was going to grab them in the morning.” _ Shit, was I supposed to do that right away? _

“It’s fine,” Jemma adds softly. “I want you to go through it tomorrow. Gather what you can of their research so far and any notes that are usable.”

Skye opens her mouth to ask a question, but shuts her mouth quickly. It’s technically Jemma’s and Fitz’s company, the research is their property. And she really doesn’t want to get yelled at before going home.

“Did you have a question?” 

She shakes her head quickly like a child scared of being chastised. Except she’s an  _ adult  _ and she doesn’t want to be chastised.

There’s another small sigh that escapes Jemma’s lips before a blanket of silence follows. 

“Skye, I--” “Dr. Simm--”

They both pause again and Skye laughs nervously in her seat. 

“You go first,” Skye says because she just wanted to go home anyways.

Jemma nods before gripping her desk and uncrossing her legs. The way she looks, despite her quiet sighs and thoughtful expressions, Skye finds her beautiful. If the day was over and Jemma would be at home, she’d probably look relaxed even. 

“Skye, I want you to know that---” Jemma clears her throat as the grip at the edge of her desk tightens. She stares at Skye, jaw clenched, her eyes expressing emotional turmoil that Skye knows too well. Skye just sits there, unsure of what to do. “I appreciate you.” 

_ What? _

“Yes. And your work.”

_ Is she on crack? _

“I believe that as we continue our professional relationship, you will gain a better understanding of---”  _ Is she nervous? _ “--me.” Jemma cringes at her choice in words and brings up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. “I apologize for my behavior earlier. It was...upsetting, I understand.”

Skye wants to make a quip in return but doesn’t do so. She does give Jemma a look showing she agrees. 

Except it makes it worse because Jemma in turn suddenly looks profoundly guilty. It’s cute but Skye hates making people feel guilty. Especially because Jemma is her boss. 

“I hope that you can understand my actions more deeply than the words that I say. Maybe-  _ maybe  _ that way we can both grow.”

But by the way, she’s speaking to her now, this isn’t Dr. Simmons. It’s  _ Jemma _ . Skye can see Jemma because she can hear the nervousness and uncertainty in her voice. She catches the way Jemma bites her lip when she thinks deeply about what she wants to say and can’t bring herself to say it. Dr. Simmons is not entirely a cold hearted bitch because Jemma cares.  _ She is trying. _

Jemma pushes off her desk to stand with her hand out. 

Skye holds back a laugh because there she goes again, being all formal. She stands up to reach for Jemma’s hand but her heels are off balance and she stumbles forward. 

Suddenly she’s pressed against Jemma and she feels Jemma’s hands at her waist and bicep catching her because it literally feels like fire. Skye picks up her head and nearly bumps her nose against Jemma’s.

The air suddenly escapes her lungs and she’s too scared to breath because they are so close. If she breathes in Jemma, she might actually do something stupid. Just because she’s mad at Jemma doesn’t mean that she’s still not wildly attracted to her. 

She knows what Jemma can do to her. What she really wants Jemma to _ do to her. _

Her weight is pressed against Jemma, meaning Jemma’s pinned between her and the desk. If it were up to her, Skye wanted to be pinned against the desk. 

Jemma stares at her, eyes dark, not angry but mesmerizing. She swallows, letting Skye see the expanse of her neck contract. She tightens her grip at Skye’s waist and unconsciously slides the hand from her bicep up to her neck. 

Skye shivers at the touch and leans in. Jemma’s fingers press against her neck, her thumb rubs subtle circles just underneath her earlobe, where she left a mark that took four days to go away. She wants Jemma to do it again. 

“Jemma, are you ready to go?!” 

At the sound of Dr. Fitz’s voice they pull away from each other quickly like they’re on fire. Technically, Skye knows she’s on fire because there were so many thoughts racing through her mind, most of them leaving her clothesless and/or bent over Jemma’s desk. 

Dr. Fitz appears at the doorway and looks between the two suspiciously because Jemma has her arms crossed and Skye is standing beside her looking flushed.

“The car is here,” he adds weakly before shooting Jemma a sharp look. 

Skye looks at Jemma to see if it’s okay to go. Jemma nods with a small smile on her face. With that, Skye says a quick goodbye to Fitz as she rushes out of the room, her body still thrumming from being so close to Jemma.

As soon as Skye is gone, Fitz throws his hands in the air. “What did you do now?”

At this, Jemma glares and stands up straight. “Nothing! I took your advice and talked to her.”

Fitz narrows his eyes suspiciously. “Then why did she rush out of here like that?”

She clears her throat. “Unrelated personal matter, I assume.”


End file.
